Process for the manufacture of high-percentage, nondecomposable, durable soap



Patented Nov. 10, 1925.

" NI ED S ATE PATENT ol-"r ce.

.AJJOLF WELTER, or xnarnnn-rznmnnnn, GERMANY.

raocnss roa 'rnn nanurac'runr. or man-rancnn'raes, nonnncomrosnta'DUBABLE soar.

7 K Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it, known'that I, ADOLF zen of the German Empire, residing atKrefeld-Pzeinhafen, Germany, have invented new and useful Improvementsin aProcess for the Manufacture of High-Percent age, Nondecomposable,Durable Soap, of which the following is aspecification. The soapindustry has endeavoured in the 10 lastfe'w years to put on the marketsoaps of as high a percentage of sappnification as possible, which shallnot be friableand which shall be durable, in powder or solid form.

The oldest but also the most expensive process of manufacture for thesaid purpose consists in this that fluid soap -is cooled into slabswhich are cut off in small pieces and dried until the product is capableof be ing ground. This process requires much time, heat and power. I

Another process consists A in this that more or less concentrated soapsolutions are mixed with calcined soda, the reaction mass is cooled andground. By this process, alkaline soaps are obtained which destroy thetextile fibres, and in the case where .blocks are pressed from thepowder so obtained, these blocks disintegrate in a short time and becomesimply soda decompositions. The soaps so obtained cannot be manufacturedwith high contents of fatty; acids. In

order to render this possible, ithasalso been tried to mix pulverizedresins or stearin with calcined soda and to press the mixture, ifrequired, into briquettes. In this manner, however, soaps are obtainedwhich still contain a high percentage of unsaponified stearic acid orresin. v

it has, further been attempted to heat castor oil fatty acid in an ironvessel provided with a stirring mechanism and to add calcined sodaslowly until everything is saponified and the carbonic acid is drivenofi'. This process can only be used for castor oil fatty acids and sincethese castor oil soaps have no importance whatever for washing purposesand are to expensive, this .of practical importance. .With all otherfatty acids under similar circumstances, bady mixed lumpy -masses wouldbe obtained which contain partly a strong excess ofsoda and partly freefatty acids.

WELTER, citiprocess of soap manufacture has not become Application andIanuary S, 1923. Serial 110. $1,500.

The inventor has now found outthat if absolutely homogeneous mass isobtainedwhich becomes heated after a short time 7 and forms a completelysaponified, highly concentrated soapy mass which does not containanymore soda. If the double quantity of soda which is necessary forsaponification is not exceeded, then the process is carried out in sucha manner, that quantitively more orless water free sodium soaps andsodium" Y bicarbonate/are formed. These have no alkaline reaction andmay be used for W001, silk and also for the human skin. They can alsobesuitably hardened and cooled, and after cooling easily pulverized. Themost important point however is that the blocks 1 which are pressed-fromthe powder last indefinitely, do not burst and do not show any sodadecompositions. The process is carried out in such a manner that thefatty acids arehcated in apparatuses having a stirrin device, a littleabove the melting point, and a molecule of calcined soda is "added to amolecule of fatty acid until everything is his mixed to form ahomogeneous mass.

mass is allowed to become heated by the heat which itself generatesuntil a sample taken does not give any unsaponified fatty acids withether, whereupon either the mass which is still hot is formed into bandsor extrusions, or the cooled mas-sis ground and the soap so obtained isput on the market either as such or pressed into briquettes or blocks.

It-is also possible to replace 'one part of soda by potash and a part of.the fatt acids by resin. It is also possible to add at dissolving meansto the fatty acids, whereby the process is carried out equally well andeffective washing whereby particularly means are obtained. The heatinggenerated varies according to the 1- fats used. 'With oxidizablefatsthe' heating may be generated by simultaneous oxidation until thecarbonization takes place, in which case care should be taken that themass to be cooled shall ture of the fatty acids, the more uniform is themixture, and the smaller is the uantity of carbonic acid which isdevelop in the reaction massso that only the sodium salt are formed.

ether.

Usually the finer and the more free of water the calcined soda used, theeasier it is to carry the process out. It has been shown that with nottoo large contents of calcined soda absolutely homogeneous andcompletely saponified products are obtained which are capable of beingground and shaped,

which do not show any decomposition and the duration of which isunlimted.

I Example 1.

1000 kgs. of olein of an acidity number of 200 are given into a vesselprovided with a stirring mechanism at a temperatureof 30 to 35 C., and200 to 250 kgs. of well-ground calcined soda are added, whereby anentire ly homogeneous thin ulp is. obtained. When after a shortstirring, the latter has become suificiently viscous so that it cannotbe unmixed again, the reaction mass 'is allowed to settle on sheets ofiron which are placed in drying chambers. The soapy pulp becomes thenpufi'ed up during the next few hours according to the quantity of sodawhich is used owing to the formation of carbonic acid and produces ahard, porous, ho-

mogeneous soapy mass. This mass can be easily pulverized and dissolveseasily and clearly in pure water, developing a strong lathering and highcleansing power. If only one molecule of water-free soda is used for twomolecules of fatty acids, then when it is worked in small quantities asubsequent heating in driving chambers is necessary under certaincircumstances for driving off the carbonic acid. In all cases, however,where a small excess of soda, and when one molecule of soda is used forone molecule fatty acid such'a strong heating is generated by theformation ofbicarbonate that comp ete saponification takes place after ashort time. The end of the reaction is to be recognized by this that asample taken being pulverized does not give any fatty acids with IEwample 2.

1000 kgs. of fluid palm nut oil acid of an acidity of 250 is added in asteady stream at a temperature of 35 G. into a mixing drum having a goodstirring mechanism, in which 450 to 500 kgs. of calcined soda have beenpreviously introducedl A thin pulp is then obtained which becomes heatedby the saponification which takes place, and becomes thicker and canfinally be removed from the mixing vessel as an entirely homogeneous,

hard friable mass. On the following day,

- the reaction mass which has been formed is so hard'and brittle that itcan be easily ground, does not feel fatty to the touch, and consistsonly of a mixture of soap and bicarbonate, which forms a clear solutionwith water and has high lathering and cleansing properties. Z p

' Example 3. 7 1000 kgs. of fluid distilled cotton oil, fatty acid(soapstock fatty acid) of an acidity number 202 are mixed in a mlxingdrum havmg a strong stirring mechanism, with 400 kgs. of dried calcinedsoda at about 30 or 35 C. When the mass has become like a pulp and doesnot stick any longer, it is pressed by a screw lying at the bottom ofthe mixing vessel into an extrusion press and shaped eitherhydraulically or mechanically into extrusions of any suitable diameter.These, after a short time, by the complete saponification which vtakesplace, become hard and brittle, have a good appearance and a longduration.

lln this process, it is possible by using suitable apparatus tomanufacture soaps in r a continuous manner. The mode of working from themoment of the introduction of the fluid fatty acids until the outlet ofthe hard, saponified, saleable product, requires according to thetemperature and to the kin of fatty acid, from a quarter of an hour toan hour.

Example 4,.

acid of an acidity number 255 are stirred.

together with 600 kgs. of calcined soda whichcontains 20% of water andis ground very finely into a mixing drum, whereby after a certain timethe mass hardens into a dough, becomes warm afterwards and then becomescompletely saponified. When the mass does .not stick any longer, it isshaped by means of an extrusion press into noodles or is groundaftercooling and pressed into blocks. The blocks which are'so obtaineddo not contain any more soda, but only bicarbonate and a little water.They do not burst, their duration is unlimited, and do not show anysigns of decomposition even after one or more years of storage.

' Example 5.

- 1000 kgs. of fluid, distilled cotton oil, fatty acid -(soapstock fattyacid) of an acidity number 202 are mixed with 50 kgs. of turby ascrew-lying at the bottom of the mixing vessel into an extrusion press,and shaped either hydraulically or mechanically into extrusions of anysuitable diameter. These become hard and brittle in a short time, owingto the complete saponification that takes place, and have a goodappearance and along duration. It is, of course, possible to allow themass to cool, to' grind. it

the addition of water of no'n decomposable soap of high fatty acidcontent, by mixing;

at the temperature of the approximate melting point of the fatty acids,a measured quantity of water free alkaline carbonate with commercialfatty acids, said measured quantity being approximately double thequantity required for the com lete'saponification of said fatty.acid,.an said excess of alkaline carbonate being approximately thequantity necessary for the absorption by said excess of all the carbondioxide resulting from said saponification whereby a soap is formedcontaining a substantial excess of the bicarbonate of said alkali andapproximately no stronger alkaline impunities than said'bicarbonate ofsoda.

2. Aproce'ss for the manufacture without 7 the addltionof Water .ofnon-decomposable soa -of high fatty acid content, by mixing .witcommercial fatty acids at the temperature of the approximate melting,point: of

the fatty acids, an excess of a water free alkaline carbonate overthenormal amount required for saponification of said fatty acid, saidexcess'being retained in intimate mixture with said saponifying fattacid to absorb the carbon dioxide libera by said saponification andpermittin the mixture as herein noted to stand until a soap with asubstantial quantity of the bicarbonate of said alkali is formed and inwhich only traces of the carbonate of said alkali remain. 3. .A rocessfor the manufacture without the addition of water'of non-decomposablesoap of high fattyacid content in powderedv or .solid form, by mixing atthe temperature of the approximate melting point of'selected fattyacids, an 'excess of anhydrous alkaline carbonate over the normal amountrequired for saponificationof said selected fatty acids, retaining saidexcessin intimate mixture with said saponifying fatty, acid to absorbthe carbon dioxide liberated by said saponification and: permitting themixture as herein noted to-stand until a soap with a substantialquantity of the bicarbonate of said alkali is formed and in which onlminute traces of the carbonate of said alka i remain.

In' testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

Dn. ADOLF VVELTER.

